


The Boy Who Waited (The Life and Death of Leonard Snart)

by A_once_and_future_love



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, Angst, Engagement, I'm Bad At Tagging, It's just his job, M/M, Mick and Len are the Ponds, Not meaning for it to be, Nothing Explicit Happens, Rip is a Time Lord, Rip/Len is very little, Stripper!Len, and I had to go with it, and Len's imaginary friend, i had this idea, long story, maybe ooc?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 03:58:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6640474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_once_and_future_love/pseuds/A_once_and_future_love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Leonard Snart was eight years old, he had an imaginary friend. It wasn't until he was all grown up that he found out that his friend wasn't so imaginary. </p><p>Doctor Who AU<br/>(Series 5)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Dear Santa,_

_It’s Easter now, but I hope that you get this, and that I’m not bothering you. It’s an emergency. There’s a crack in my wall, and I’m scared. My dad says that I’m being stupid and that it’s an ordinary crack, but at night I hear voices. There are voices coming through my bedroom wall, and I don’t know what to do. Can you fix it? If not, could you send someone who can, like a cop or_

Leo stopped writing his letter when a loud crash echoed outside. He frowned and rose to his feet. Carefully, he crept towards the window, flashlight in hand, to glance out at the backyard. What he saw made him grin.

            It was a box, bright blue and lit up bright, laying on it’s side with smoke pouring out the top. Above the windows were the words _Police Public Call Box_ scrolled across. It reminded Leo of a phone booth from the pictures he’d seen of London. Quickly, the boy hurried out of his bedroom door, tiptoeing quietly past the room with his passed out father draped over the bed, and ran out to the lawn to stand in front of the box.

            He waited for about a minute, before finally growing impatient and kicking the side of the box. The doors, which were facing upwards due to how the box fell, swung open and Leo jumped back in shock. “Hello?” he called, unsure of what to expect.

            “Um, yes, hello.” A voice called out from inside. “I don’t mean to bother you, but there wouldn’t happen to be rope of some kind around that you can throw down, would there?”

            Leo frowned, eyes scanning the yard. “There’s a water hose.”

            “That’s perfect. Would you fetch it for me?”

            Leo thought about it for a moment, before shrugging. If whoever was in there was here to help him with the crack on his wall, the least he could do is help him out of his box. He walked over to the side of the house and loosened the hose as much as he could. It was heavy to lug back and throw into the box, and he laughed when he heard the voice howl in surprise.

            “A little warning next time?” It called up. The hose twitched, the strain causing it to tremble as whatever or whoever was in the box climbed higher and higher. Finally, a hand popped up over the edge, and the box’s occupant was pulling himself out.

            Of all of the things that Leo had imagined climbing out, the man that plopped down on the grass in front of him wasn’t what he expected. He was tall, taller than his dad, and skinny. He wore a long brown coat, and he had a short beard that he scratched at nervously.

            Leo tilted his head to the side. “Are you a cop?”

            The man frowned. “What?” He asked in a thick British accent. “Oh! Because of the,” he motioned back to the box behind him, “phonebox. Why? Did you call for a policeman?”

            Leo narrowed his eyes. “Did you come about the crack in my wall?”

            The man’s frown deepened. “Does the crack in your wall scare you?”

            Leo nodded shyly. He hated admitting when he was scared. His dad told him it was a sign of weakness. But, if the man was going to help, he needed to know the truth.

            The man nodded back. “Alright, then. The name’s Rip Hunter. Let’s see what I can do.”

0000000

            Leo led the man into his house by the hand. The man—Rip, sat at the kitchen table while Leo took out two glasses and the carton of milk. Before she left, his mother taught him to always offer guests something to drink, especially when they’re doing something nice for you.

            He brought Rip a glass of the milk and took the seat across from him. Rip smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Mr.…?”

            “Snart. Leonard Snart.”

            Rip flinched. “Sorry about that.”

            He shrugged. “Everyone calls me ‘Leo’. My mom told me it means ‘lion’, which is kind of cool.” He took a sip from his glass and Rip Hunter chuckled.

            “It’s very cool, Leo.” He agreed. “Speaking of your mum, shouldn’t my ship crashing have woken her up? Or your dad?”

            Leo hung his head. “My mom isn’t here anymore. And my dad took something that put him to sleep really good.”

            Rip furrowed his brow in confusion, so Leo pointed towards the shelf of ‘grown-up stuff’ his dad always got his drinks from. His confusion went away. “Oh, I see. And there’s no one to watch you when your dad…goes to sleep?”

            Leo shrugged again. “I’m not scared.”

            “Of course not.” Rip smiled. “Look at you. A box crashes in your front yard, a strange man asks for your water hose and starts asking about your life, and you’ve barely blinked an eye. Do you know what that makes me think, Leo?”

            He frowned. “What?”

            “That crack in your wall must be terrifying.”

0000000

            Leo stood back as Rip Hunter ran his fingers along the crack in his bedroom wall. It was four feet long, cutting across the wall beside his bed in a ‘W’. Rip Hunter let out a ‘hmmm’.

            “What?”

            Rip pursed his lips. “This crack doesn’t go through the wall all the way, but there’s most certainly a draught coming through.” He pulled out a small piece of metal, one that could fit in the palm of his hand, and ran it along the crack. It beeped a few times, to Leo’s surprise, and Rip frowned. “Leo, do you know what this is?”

            He glanced back at the boy, who shook his head. “It’s a crack, but not in the wall. It’s a crack in the universe; two pieces of space and time that should never touch pressed together right here on your wall.”

            Rip stepped away to stand by Leo. “What do you hear at night?”

            Leo’s breath caught in his throat. “It says, ‘Prisoner Zero has escaped’. What does it mean?”

            “It means,” Rip explained, gently dragging Leo further away from the wall, “that, on the other side of this wall, there is a prison where someone called Prisoner Zero has escaped from.” He pulled out a new instrument, this one long with a light on the end.

“The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way and hope it snaps closed.” He looked down at Leo. “Are you ready?”

Leo nodded, moving slightly behind Rip.

The man took a deep breath before pushing the button on his instrument. It lit up, and the entire wall split. Leo was caught between awe and terror when a huge eyeball appeared on the other side of the crack, looking in on them. Then, as quickly as it opened, the crack snapped shut. Leo’s body shook slightly, but whether it was out of fear or excitement, he wasn’t sure.

“Who was that?” He asked. “Was that Prisoner Zero?”

Rip shook his head. “No, that was Prisoner Zero’s guard. He was looking through here to see if he escaped into your house, but it’s highly doubtful he did.”

An alarm sounded from outside, and Rip’s face grew grim. Leo followed as he ran out the door and down to where his box was laying, the lights flashing erratically.

“It’s overloading!” Rip shouted. “The engines are going to blow if I don’t stabilize them!”

“Engines?” Leo was confused. “It’s a box. How are there engines?”

Rip let out a laugh as he pulled the hose from the open doors. “It’s not really a box. It’s a time machine.”

Leo’s heart leapt. “A time machine? A real time machine?” He looked back at his house, thinking about his father, passed out upstairs, and bit his lip. “Can I come?”

Rip stopped what he was doing and turned back to the boy. Leo tried to look as sweet and adorable as possible. The time traveler sighed. “Yes…but not right this moment. I need to take my ship away to stabilize the engines. Just a quick pop into the future –five minutes, no more.”

He knelt in front of Leo. “I will be right back.”

 “That’s what my mom said.” Leo replied sadly.

Rip laid a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “Well, I mean it. I will come right back to this exact spot. I promise.”

Leo believed him.

With one last nod, the time traveler rose to his feet and climbed into his ship. Leo watched in amazement as the lights flashed and the machine groaned, and, suddenly, the box was gone.

0000000

Leo’s heart swelled as he pulled his suitcase out from his closet and clicked it open. He grabbed some clothes—his favorite t-shirts, a pair of jeans, his nice jacket. He grabbed the hat from his dad’s days at the police academy from the top of the closet and pulled it on his head before lugging the suitcase out into the backyard and waiting.

He sat on top of the suitcase and waited, fingers crossed with a smile. He was leaving. He was getting out.

Five minutes passed. Then ten more. Then an hour.

 

The next morning, he woke up in his bed, dressed in his clothes with his dad’s hat lying beside him and his suitcase sitting in the corner. Rip Hunter hadn’t shown up.

Leo never forgot him—the crazy man that crashed into his backyard and helped close the crack in his wall. For years, he was called crazy. He got into fights with people at school that called him a liar. The only person that ever believed him was his little sister, Lisa. After a while, he stopped talking about Rip Hunter, his “imaginary” friend, and moved on with his life. He got a job, started dating, and, after his father died, moved back into his family home. And he never saw Rip Hunter again.

Until one day, thirty years later, when his imaginary friend came back.

 


	2. Zero

His name is Rip Hunter. He’s a Time Master. He has a ship called the Waverider that can take him anywhere in space and time. And his head was throbbing like crazy.

            It started with his ship malfunctioning.

            Well, no, that’s a lie.

            It really started with a little boy named Leo Snart, and a promise to return in five minutes. Only, it had taken longer—much longer than he’d intended. And whether it was hours later or days, he knew he had to find little Leo and warn him. Prisoner Zero was in his house. He and his father were in great danger.

            So, the moment his ship landed, he ran out the door and into the house. What he didn’t expect was, the moment he stepped into the hall, the pain of something hard coming down on the back of his head, knocking him face first to the floor. Hence, the throbbing.

            “Don’t move.”

            Rip frowned. The voice was familiar, but only vaguely. He glanced over his shoulder at the attacker. It was a man, probably in his mid-to-late thirties, in a police uniform, his gun leveled at Rip’s head. The Time Master held his hands up in surrender. “I apologize for breaking and entering, but I needed to speak with someone that lives here—Leo? Leo Snart?”

            The officer’s eyes widened, and his hands tightened around his weapon. “What do you want with Leo Snart?”

            Rip groaned. There wasn’t time for questions. “I need to speak with him. I promised I’d be back in five minutes, but the Waverider’s engines kept failing and I may have overshot it.” He rose to his feet, slowly, and the police officer’s gun followed. “Are you his father?”

            The officer’s stance relaxed slightly. “Lewis Snart died a while back, and Leo Snart isn’t around anymore. That’s how I ended up living here.”

It felt like someone had sucked the air out of the room. Leo didn’t live in the house anymore. Which means, it was a lot longer than days. The little boy was gone. But why was he gone? Did he and his father move? Or did Prisoner Zero get him? Was it Rip’s fault?

“How long has he been gone? What happened to him?”

The officer snorted. “Not sure I should tell you anything, after breaking into my house for no reason.”

“I’ll give you a very good reason. How many doors are in this hallway right now?”

The officer raised an eyebrow. “Four. What does that prove?”

Rip smirked. “It proves that there is a multidimensional creature hiding in this house because there are five doors.”

“Five?” The officer scoffed. “I think I would have noticed an extra door at some point.”

“Not if it was being hidden from you. Count the rooms.”

The officer sighed and lowered his weapon. “One,” He pointed to a door at his right, “Two,” the door beside it, “Three,” one to his left, “Four.” He pointed to the room beside that one. Rip motioned behind him, at the tall, blue door at the end of the hall, and the officer stared in disbelief.

             Rip grinned smugly, but only for a moment, because the officer was suddenly handcuffing him to the doorknob to his right. “Stay here.” He warned. As he walked carefully towards the room, panic hit Rip. In his determination to prove himself right, it didn’t occur to him that the officer would want to look into a room potentially holding a dangerous criminal.

            “I wouldn’t do that!” He called after the officer, even as he turned the knob and entered the room. It was quiet for a few seconds.

            “There’s nothing in here!” The officer called. “Just an empty room!”

            “The thing in there hid an entire room for years!” Rip shouted back, pulling at the cuffs. “Do you really think you’ll just be able to see it? Please, just get out of there!”

            There was a loud clatter. “There’s something in here.” He heard the officer say. “What is it?”

            “I don’t know, but don’t look for it.” He answered. “If you see it, it will kill you.”

            The room went quiet. Then, there was another clatter, followed by a “what the hell?”. Then, the officer was running out the door and slamming it closed behind him. “What was that?”

            “A dangerous lifeform called Prisoner Zero.” Rip explained. “Now, if you would give me the keys to these cuffs, so I can—”

            The officer hurried over and pressed a button on the side of the cuffs. They clicked open.

            Rip frowned. “How did you do that?”

            The officer rolled his eyes. “They weren’t real.”

            Rip was confused, more confused than before, but the sound of Prisoner Zero beating against the hall door jarred him out of it.

            “Will it hold?” The officer asked.

            “Yes, it’s a multidimensional lifeform. They’re terrified of wood.”

 The officer glared, but said nothing.

“Give me your gun.” Rip ordered, holding out his hand. The officer shook his head.

“The gun isn’t real either. It shoots tequila.”

Rip whipped around to face the police officer. “I’m sorry, but what sort of policeman are you?”

“I’m not!” He answered through gritted teeth. “I’m a stripper!”

 

            Rip froze, taking the time to stare at the fake officer questioningly, and the door finally gave way. A middle aged man in a janitor’s suit stepped out, pulling a dog on a leash behind him. The fake policeman frowned.

            “That’s not what I saw.”

            “He’s a shapeshifter.” Rip explained. “He’s using a psychic link to change his shape.”

            The fake officer grabbed Rip’s arm. “What the hell do we do?”

            Rip just shrugged. “Run!”

0000000

           

Once they made it out of the house, Rip pulled the stripper officer to a stop. “Who are you? And why are you pretending to be a policeman?”

The man rolled his eyes. “I was already in costume on my way to… _an event_ , and you broke into my house. Why is Prisoner Zero in my house?”

“He came through the crack in Leo Snart’s wall—the small upstairs bedroom.” Rip explained. “And now that he knows that we know he’s here, he’ll try to kill us.”

The man stared wide-eyed at Rip. “So, how do we get away from an interdimensional being?”

The Time Master sighed and took a step away from the fake officer. If he had access to any kind of communications device, he could rewire it to contact Prisoner Zero’s guards and bring them to Earth.

“What year is it?”

The Stripper Cop frowned. “Why?”

“I need to know what technology is available to me. What year?”

The man crossed his arms over his chest, his posture becoming defensive all of a sudden. Strange.

“2010.”

Rip’s heart nearly stopped. Thirty years. Prisoner Zero had been trapped in Leo Snart’s house for thirty years, and the entire time the boy was waiting for him to come back. Now, Leo was gone; moved away or killed by Prisoner Zero.

“Rip!”

Stripper Cop’s voice broke him out of his own self-pity. “I said, what technology do you need?”

Rip shook his head, regaining his thoughts. “Um, a laptop computer with reliable Wi-Fi.”

The man bit his lip, obviously wrestling over a choice. After a few seconds, he hung his head. “I know where we can borrow a laptop, but we’ll have to go somewhere else for Wi-Fi.”

“Okay…” Rip furrowed his brow. Something was bothering Stripper Cop. “What’s wrong?”

 Stripper Cop ran a hand down his face and groaned. “It’s at my sister’s house.”

0000000

Two blocks and a jog up the stairs of a small apartment complex later, Stripper Cop was shifting from foot to foot after knocking on a faded apartment door. Rip didn’t understand the man’s discomfort; from what he’d said on the way over, his sister, Lisa, was his only living family member, and they were close. So why was he so uncomfortable?

His question was answered when the door opened to reveal a beautiful, dark-haired young woman. Her eyes lit up when she saw Stripper Cop.

“Lenny!” She threw her arms around his neck. “What brings you by?”

Stripper Cop—Lenny, apparently—smiled tightly. “Hey, Lis. We were wondering if we could borrow your laptop.”

Lisa glanced Rip’s way, only then noticing someone was with her brother, and her eyes widened like she was looking at a ghost. “Oh my god.”

Lenny covered his face with his hands and let out a groan. “Lisa—”

“Oh my god, it’s him.” A wide grin broke across Lisa’s face. “Leonard Snart, it’s your Space Cowboy!”

It took Rip longer than it should have to process what she’d said, but when he did—“You’re Leo Snart?!” He looked over the man—little Leo Snart!—with shock.

He glared back, face filled with both embarrassment and fury. “It isn’t ‘Leo’ anymore, and you’re late.” He pushed past Lisa to enter her apartment, and if she thought his behavior was strange, she didn’t acknowledge it. In fact, all she was doing now was grinning at Rip deviously.

“So, you’re the famous Rip Hunter I spent my childhood hearing stories about.”

All he felt like he could do is staring questioningly at Lisa. “Wait, what?”

Lisa nodded. “Yeah, Len used to talk about you and Prisoner Zero all the time. In fact, we used to play you when we were little.”

“Can we just get your laptop already?!?”  Came a shout from inside the apartment. Lisa giggled and rolled her eyes.

“Sure.” She answered back, still grinning at Rip. “The charger is on the counter.”

            When ‘Len’ came back, there was a laptop bag over his shoulder and his face was deep red. Lisa held a hand out to stop him from passing once he reached the door. “Where are you heading now?”

            Len rolled his eyes. “None of your business.”

            She raised an eyebrow and still refused to let him pass. “Just…be careful, okay?” Her face was full of concern, and Len’s expression softened.

            “I will, okay?”

            Rip felt the urge to look away, like he was intruding on a moment between the two siblings, but Lisa broke it by grinning. “Go on.” She moved her hand to let Len pass. “Go have fun with your Space Cowboy. But not too much fun, or I’ll have to call Mick.”

            Len growled as he left his sister’s apartment, grabbing Rip’s arm to drag him away.

0000000

            All Rip could do was stare as he followed Len down the sidewalk. He was different: his shoulders stiff, his eyes frosted over, his smile sharp and cold instead of warm and bright like before. When he felt Rip’s stare, Len whipped around to glare at him.

            “What?”

            “You’ve…changed.”

            “It’s been thirty years. Of course I’ve changed.” Rip’s eyes darted down to his costume, and Len groaned. “It’s just a job. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

            “You were eight years old five minutes ago!”

            Len rolled his eyes and continued walking. Rip followed, moving quickly to walk beside him. “Where are we going?”

            Len took a sharp left turn without answering the question. They continued on in silence until they came to a mechanic’s garage. Rip frowned as Len wandered into the garage area, passing by a line of cars until he stopped at one with a man working underneath it. He gave the man’s leg a sharp kick.

            “What?” A muffled voice sounded from underneath the vehicle. The man rolled out to shoot a glare up at them, but paused when his eyes fell on Len. A small smile appeared on the man’s lips. “Miss me already?” He asked, rising to his feet. The man was large—taller and broader than both Rip and Len, and the skin visible underneath his oil-stained white wifebeater was decorated with burn marks. “We just saw each other this morning.”

            He stepped forward and gave Len a peck on the lips. The latter raised an eyebrow in exasperation, but Rip could see a slight blush crawl onto his cheeks. “We need to use the internet in your office.”

             At the mention of Rip, the mechanic’s eyes darted over to him, and a shocked look appeared on his face. “Isn’t that—?”

            Len quickly stepped between the two. “We’re kind of in a hurry.”

            The mechanic nodded, but continued to watch Rip curiously as he led them to a small office in the corner of the garage. The minute the door closed behind them, Rip took the laptop from Len and started to get to work. He could feel his two companions watching him as he booted up the computer and logged in.

            “Um, I’ll need the internet password, Mr…?” He glanced over at the mechanic.

            “Mick Rory.” He responded. “And it’s LOT12116.”

            Rip nodded and continued his work. “I’m Captain Rip Hunter, by the way.”

            He heard Len let out a groan behind him, while Mick barked a laugh. “I knew it! He’s your Space Cowboy!”

            “Mick.” Len warned, but the mechanic continued.

            “You’d make me dress up like him when we—”

            “ALRIGHT.” Len interrupted, the subject clearly going in an even more embarrassing direction, and he stepped up beside Rip. “What’s all of this for?”

            Rip looked up at Len, whose ears were red and had a look like he wanted to hit something. He decided not to ask. “I’m sending out a signal to the guards of Prisoner Zero using a frequency similar to the one I used to close the crack before. The only problem is that Zero is a shapeshifter. He’s using sleeping minds that he’s formed a telepathic link with to hide himself, and, if he continues to use this, his own guard won’t be able to find him.”

            Len nodded. “So, we cut off his supply of sleeping minds.”

            “Exactly.” Rip agreed. “That’s where you come in. While I’m finishing my signal, I need you to go to the hospital and evacuate the coma ward; it’s the most likely place that Prisoner Zero will be getting his shapes.”

            “How?”

            Rip shrugged. “Get creative. We just need them gone. I’ll meet you there.”     

Len growled but turned to exit the office with Mick Rory close on his heels, obviously curious to hear more about the adventure he was on with his ‘Space Cowboy’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUICK QUESTION:
> 
> Do you think Len should have a crush on Rip? Because I sort of low-key ship them and would like to write some Rip/Len one day, but not enough that, if I don't for this story, it's going to hurt my feelings, you know?
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO:  
> Yes, Len did make Mick dress up like Rip Hunter, but I *never* said how old they were when he did or what the context was. You may interpret that as you'd like.


	3. The Mad Man in the Timeship

Len was blushing red by the time he climbed into the passenger seat of Mick’s van, pointedly avoiding the looks his boyfriend was shooting from the driver’s seat. They rode to the hospital without a word, the only thing breaking through the silence being Mick’s occasional snicker.

“What?” He finally asked as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Mick shrugged. “Your Space Cowboy. I just remember that time you decked that kid in juvie because he said that you were delusional and there was no such thing as Rip Hunter. That was the only time that I had to pull _you_ off of someone instead of the other way around.”

Len shook his head, biting back a smile. “Yeah, well, things are different now.”

“Are they?” Mick responded, raising an eyebrow. “Because looking at you right now, you remind me of that same kid that had stars in his eyes every time he talked about Rip Hunter.” He reached over to take Len’s hand. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed again. It took years for you to get over him.”

Sighing, Len pushed open the car door and stepped out of the van. He didn’t want to talk about this with Mick—mostly because he was scared that he was right. He’d always had a weakness when it came to his ‘imaginary’ friend, and now that he was back…

He shook it off as they walked into the hospital. It wasn’t a large hospital—Blue Valley was a somewhat small town, after all, located only an hour from Central City where the much larger hospital was located—so it was easy to clear it out. One pull of the fire alarm, and the hospital emptied like a wet anthill.

Mick moved to leave with them, but Len grabbed his arm to stop him. “We need to make sure everyone is clear.”

“Why?”

Len rolled his eyes. “Remember Prisoner Zero?”

“He’s real, too?” Mick asked, allowing Len to pull him through the halls.

“If there are any coma patients left, he can use the mental connection he’s formed with them to take their shape and then his prison guard that Rip is trying to lead here won’t be able to find him. If we can cut him off at the source, we can stop him.”

They crashed into the empty coma ward, and Len sighed with relief. He jumped when his cellphone let out a shrill ring. He pushed the answer button with a growl.

“What?”

 _“Did you get everyone out?”_ Rip’s voice came through the phone. Len huffed.

“Mick pulled the fire alarm. We’re standing in the coma ward. Everyone’s cleared out.”

_“…you’re where? Get out of there! That’s where Prisoner Zero is going to go to get his new body!”_

“My dear Leonard Snart.”

Len froze. Mick was staring towards the door with a curious, yet fearful expression, and he knew exactly who was standing there. He turned slowly, seeing only an ordinary brunette woman blocking the door. But he knew what she was.

_“Mr. Snart, what’s going on?”_

He swallowed hard. “He’s here.”

_“Stay right where you are, Mr. Snart! I’m tracking your signal.”_

Prisoner Zero pursed his (her? Len wasn’t even sure if shapeshifting species had genders) lips and shook his head. “Poor Leonard Snart, waiting for his precious Rip Hunter to return.” He stepped closer, and Mick pushed Len behind him. “I’ve watched you grow up…thirty years. I watched your daddy beat you and Lisa, watched you dream about your Space Cowboy to return and take you away. Waiting for him to save you. But he never did.” Sharp teeth extended in Prisoner Zero’s mouth. “And he never will.”

At that moment, all of the glass in the windows along the walls shattered. Mick threw himself over Len to protect him, but Prisoner Zero was thrown back, a few pieces of glass embedding in his/her skin. Then, Rip Hunter was stepping through the window.

“Sorry.” He grinned. “Had to use the Waverider. Are you okay?”

Len nodded, brushing the glass off of his and Mick’s clothes. Prisoner Zero wasn’t so lucky. He was twitching on the floor, losing shape again and again. Rip chuckled.

“We’ve cut you off of your supply of bodies. You can’t choose another shape, and your guard is on his way. It’s over.”

A broken laugh erupted from Prisoner Zero’s throat. “I’ll just take a new one then. After all, I’ve had years to make the right psychic connection.”

Rip tensed, panic clear on his face as he turned towards Len.

Len just frowned, not knowing what was happening until he felt his head grow heavy. His eyes started to shut on their own accord and, the next thing he knew, he was falling into (probably) Mick’s arms. After that, everything was like a dream.

_“Let Leo go!” Rip was shouting. “Open another split in the universe and go!”_

_There was another Rip that responded. “I didn’t open the crack. Don’t you see, Time Master? The universe is cracked. Something is ripping time and space apart. The Pandorica is going to open.”_

_“Hunter,” Mick growled, “why did it turn into you? Why not Lenny?”_

_There was quiet before… “Because he can hear me!”_

_Someone was stroking Len’s cheek then, whispering in his ear, “Mr. Snart…Leo, remember. What did you see when you went into that extra room in your house? Picture Prisoner Zero’s real face.”_

_He didn’t want to. If he never saw that face again, it would be too soon. But Mick and Rip were both trapped with it. Both were going to die unless—_

_It was blue. Light blue, and long and slimy like an eel. It hung from the ceiling by its tail. Its face was like an angler fish, and its eyes—blank. No feeling, no nothing._

_Prisoner Zero. One of the monsters from his childhood._

_A squeeze to his hand told him it was working. There was a bright light behind his eyes. “Remember, Time Master. Your fate is sealed.”_

_It was over._

 0000000

            When Len woke up again, he was in his own be in his house. He almost thought the entire thing had been a dream, except Mick was sitting in the chair beside his bed, something he only did when something was wrong.

            “Mick…?” He croaked, pushing himself up. His boyfriend snapped awake, moving to sit on the edge of his bed quicker than Len could keep up with. Prisoner Zero must have really messed with his head. “What happened?”

            “You kicked that ugly fucker’s slimy tail in your sleep.” Mick smiled. But it was a small one, like he was trying to act like everything was okay, but something was wrong.

            “And then what?” He could tell that Mick really didn’t want to tell him, but he had to know. “Mick. What happened?”

            “After Prisoner Zero was taken away, Rip jumped back in his time machine. He yelled something about being right back, but that was almost twenty-four hours ago and—”

            “—last time it was thirty years.” Len finished, falling back on his pillows. He couldn’t believe his luck. He just got back his imaginary friend, only to have him slip away again. Fingers twined between his, and Len sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over him. I’m ready to move on with my life.”

            Mick hummed his disbelief, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he crawled into bed beside Len and pulled him against his chest, allowing him to silently grieve.

 

0000000

 

2 YEARS LATER…

 

He didn’t want to leave—well, not in the rush he had anyway. The moment Prisoner Zero was zapped away, Gideon had sent him a warning: the Time Masters had found him. So, he decided to pop away for five minutes to draw them off…only it was now nighttime instead of four in the afternoon. A few hours off, not too bad. At least Len would be awake and the effects from Prisoner Zero would be mostly gone.

            The Waverider landed in noisily in his backyard, in the exact spot as it had all those years before. Only, this time, Rip was going to make good on his promise.

            When he stepped outside the doors, Len was already standing at his backdoor, arms crossed over his chest with a raised eyebrow. By the way he was dressed, Rip had obviously woken him up.

            “Sorry I had to run off.” The Time Master leaned against the doorway to the Waverider and grinned. “I had a few more things to fix, but now she’s ready for some real travelling.”

            He patted the side of his time machine affectionately. Len just stared. It was starting to make Rip uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I came back to ask if you’d like to come with me—come travel with me, for a bit.”

            Finally, he got a reaction. Len huffed and strode across the yard, his eyes narrowed. Not quite the reaction Rip was hoping for. “Why would I want to travel with you?” He asked, obviously peeved about something. “Especially in such an _unreliable_ time machine.” 

            Rip felt like slapping himself. “How long has it been this time?”

            “Two years.”

            “So that makes—?”

            “32 years.”

            Rip dropped his head into his hands. “Oh, I apologize for that, Mr. Snart.”

            Len shrugged. “I’ve learned not to hold to heavily to people’s promises over the years, so don’t beat yourself up about it too much.”

            Rip ran his hands down his face and sighed. Len’s face was cold and emotionless, like he was holding back how hurt by the world he really was. “Leonard Snart…” He smiled sadly. “The boy who waited. I believe it’s high time for you to unlearn that lesson.” He pushed the door to the Waverider open. “You coming?”

            Without waiting for an answer, he stepped into the Waverider, unsurprised when Len followed close behind. He waited for a huge reaction—an amazed yell, a run around the outside, maybe even fainting. Instead, Len looked around with slight interest.

            “Has it lived up to all of your childhood fantasies?”

            “If I say yes and come,” Len snipped, “you need to stop bringing that up. I’m over my childhood delusions.”

            Rip grinned, heading for the console. “Don’t worry, Mr. Snart. You’ll be back under them soon enough.”

            Len narrowed his eyes, watching every move Rip made. “What makes you so sure I’m coming? I could easily walk out that door and never look back.”

            Rip shrugged. “You wanted to before. And, besides, you have that look in your eye. You’ll never be satisfied unless you go at least once.”

            Len pursed his lips and nodded as he took a walk around the console until he was standing beside Rip. “So, this is a time machine. Like, a _real_ time machine.”

            “Yes it is.” Rip responded, patting the console fondly.

            “And it can take us anywhere, anywhen, and I could still return home to this exact moment in time?”

            “Yes, why?” Rip frowned. “Is there something you have to be home for? Someone waiting up?”

            Len cleared his throat nervously, taking a step back around the console. “Just a general inquiry.”

            Rip raised an eyebrow, wanting to push the issue, but dropping it when Len moved to sit in one of the chairs set around the console. When Rip continued to stare questioningly at him, Len raised an eyebrow. “Well? I’m waiting to be impressed. This better live up to my expectations.”

            He smirked up at the Time Master, who laughed. “Oh, Mr. Snart. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was shorter! I just needed to get Len into the Waverider. Yes, Gideon is sort of the TARDIS in the sense that she's alive and can drive the ship herself.   
> I'm going to explain the Time Master thing in probably the next chapter (which will probably be either a short chapter or it will be combined with the beginning of the next episode I'm using).   
> Also, I think I'm going to add some Rip/Leonard, just for fun.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if I'm going to continue this. I really love it, but if no one reads it, I probably won't. This is just testing it out for now.


End file.
